Apparatus for treating light and similar rays



April 18, 1933.

APPA

Filed 00%.. 8, 1928 A. O. TATE 4Sheets-Sheet l- INVENTOR' %fl/Z/Z ATTORNEY April 18, 1933. A. O. TATE APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIGHT AND SIMILAR RAYS Filed Oct. 8, 1 928 4 Sheets-$heet 3 April 18, 1933. A. o. TATE 1,904,566

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIGHT AND SIMILAR RAYS Filed cm. a, 1928 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR %flf z ATTORNEY P at'ent'ecl Apr. 18, 1933 ALFRED mm TATE, or TOR-ONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIGHT AND SIMILAR RAYS Application filed October 8, 1928. Serial No. 311,118.

This invention relates to a fundamental method and amplifications thereof for transmitting light and similar rays through apertures in a revolving disc so arranged with respect to their relative positions that a light 5 tion. I

In the specification forming part of my United States Letters Patent No. 137 1965, issued April 19, 1921, I describe a method of transmitting light through a revolving disc by means of what may be designated as continuous undulating light streams interfrupted only by bridges necessarily introduced to maintain the physical integrity of the disc. These bridges are balanced by 25 compensating apertures similar in form and dimensions to the said bridges. They are located adjacent the light stream apertures and are in line with said bridges as determined by their mutual circumferential arc and radial line boundaries. This method was found in practice to be limited in its application owing to the necessary introduction of these bridges and their compensating apertures which becoming more numerous and more complicated with the multiplication of light stream apertures, had a tendency to introduce undesirable shadows through the lack of synchronism between the compensating apertures and the bridged li ht stream apertures.

y present invention is designed to overcome these physical limitations. I accomplish this by employing intermittentlight impulses instead of continuous light streams which obviate the necessity for the introductionof bridges and their compensating apertures and achieve perfect synchronism and provide Widely adaptable and variable means whereby the face of a revolving disc maybe opened up for the transmission of light or similar rays by means of apertures arranged successively in singleor multiple series and adjustable with respect to their areas for the admission of lesser or greater volumes of light, as may be desired. Their primary purpose is to reduce the quantities of light reflected or generated by an object which may be rendered invisible or obnoxious to the naked eye by the diffusion or by the volume of the rays which it transmits, thus greatly facilitating the detection of distant objects and extending visualization to distances which are now impracticable to the naked eye without the interventionof the telescope and also to facilitate the use of the latter, when introduced as a medium, b eliminating an area of diffused light muc wider than any telescope is designed to condense.

Its practical employment embraces a wide variety of uses, as for instance the disclo- I sure of distant objects on land, on Water, or in the air, which are blanketed by diffused light and thus rendered invisible to the naked eye; for use in moving vehicles to reduce the blinding volumes of light transmitted by'the lamps of an approaching vehicle; to reduce generally the volumes of direct and reflected light which reach their maximum effect when the sun intervenes between the observer and the horizon; as a medium for the admission of light, which will be unaffected by and afford protection from weather conditions in the visual operation of all kinds of moving Vehicles on land, '8 water, or in theair. Y

' In the drawings,'Figure 1 is a surface view of the simplest form of the disc;

Figure 2 is a surface view of an amplification of Figure l.

' Figure 3 is a surface view of the disc showing'an amplification of Figure 2. v

Figure 4 is a surface view of a modification of Figure 3. c

Figure 5 is a fragmentary surface view showing how the apertures or openings may be decreased in size to produce different'light values in different concentric sections of the disc.

Figure "6 is a fragmentary surface view of a disc in which the width of the apertures in different concentric sections of the disc is decreased but the volume of light transmitted remains equal throughout the disc.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary surface view showing how the width of the apertures may be increased and the radial spacing between the apertures decreased.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary surface view showing the maximum number of apertures which it is possible to effect with a given number of radial and circumferential spaces in accordance with this method of arranging and forming said apertures.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a surface view of the disc 10 illustrating the most simple and fundamental form of successive aperture arrangement whereby a light reflecting object placed in front of said disc 10 in position as indicated by the dotted lines 30 will be revealed to the eye in vertie cal sections of uniformly equal light values twice for each complete revolution in the di-,

rection of the arrow, first from bottom to top and secondly from top to bottom.

The apertures through which the object 30 is completely revealed in vertical sections .constitute one half of a series formed by the apertures numbered 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 28 and 2 1, being ten in number and through which the object is completely revealed in ten successive vertical sections run- ,ning from bottom to top with one-half revo- 15A, which completely reveal the object in ten successive vertical sections running from top to bottom with one half a revolution of the, disc; thus one complete revolution of the disc will completely reveal the object twice,

. as stated above. In arranging the apertures as shown in Figure 1, the disc is divided into forty radial divisions 12 by the radial lines 12A extending from the centre to the circumference and spaced an equal I distance from each other. The disc is then divided into concentric zones 13 by the concentric circles 13A, so that we have ten concentric zones or rings 13 in which the ten openings, in a series, as statedabove, are situated, one in each zone 13. Each aperture is spaced from the neighboring aperture in the series by one radial division and said apertures are placed in successive concentric zones, as shown in Figure 1, the first aperture 15 being in the zone adjacent the centre and the last in the half series 24 being in the concentric zone adjacent the circumference. The apertures in the series are so proportioned with respect to their areas as defined by the radial and circumferential boundary lines that their respective light values are exactly equal when the disc 10 is revolving about the pivotal point 11 at its central axis.

In other words, when the disc revolves, the aperture 15 will transmit exactly the same volume and quantity of light as the aperture 24, notwithstanding the fact that the superficial area of the latter is greater than that of the former, the reason for this being that the circumferential speed of aperture 2 1 is greater than that of aperture 15.

This increase in circumferential speed in a revolving disc is progressive in unit measurement along a line projected from centre to periphery and the only way in which it can beequalized with regard'to the equalization of relative light values in a series of apertures as described above, is through the guidance of radial lines equally spaced each from the other and circumferential lines also equally spaced each from the other which together constitute in sections the four boundary lines of each successive aperture. It may be observed at this point that the relative light values of the apertures in any one series or the relative light values of the apertures in any two or more series may be rendered unequal by the introduction and use as boundaries of one or more additional radial lines or one or more additional cir'-- tures in a double series as shown in F igure 1,

but may be a most desirable arrangement with respect to two or more double series as illustrated in Figure 5, wherein each aperture in the lower series 31 has twice the light value of each aperture in the upper series 82.

In Figure 2 is shown a surface View ofthe disc illustrating an amplification of the fundamental form shown in Figure 1, whereby a light reflecting object so placed as above indicated willbe revealed six times for each complete revolution in sections alternating from bottom to top and top to bottom. In this case, the disc is dividedinto three equal radial sections and a complete series of apertures is formed in each section which reveal the obje'ct once in successive vertical sections from bottom to top and once from top to bottom.

In Figure 8 is shown a surface viewfof the disc illustrating an amplification of the form shown in Figure 2, whereby a light reflecting object 30 placed as above indicated will be revealed six times for each complete revolution and in double sections revealed simultaneously starting with top and bottom, progressing to a meeting point at the centre of j the object and then running in reverse directions from the centre to the top and bottom, respectively.

In Figure 4 is shown a surface view of the disc illustrating a variation of the form shown in, Figure 3, whereby a light reflecting object placed as above indicated will be revealed six, times for each revolution in double sections revealed simultaneously starting with one bottom and one mid-section,progressing from bottom to centre'and centre to top and then running in reverse directions from top to centre and centre to bottom. In this arrangement the inner and outer series of apertures may be used either in conjunction with each other or independently in the transmission of light.

Figure 5 is a surface view of a section of the disc illustrating the manner in which the total volumes of light in two series of apertures may be established in values equal with respect to their total relative volumes but unequal as measured by the relative lengths of the two divisions of theobject which they reveal in vertical sections. In this case, the radial spaces are sub-divided at the fifth circumferential line of a series of fifteen of these lines with the result that the light reflecting object placed as above indicated is revealed twice in this disc section in one complete revolution of the disc, the lower third of the object being revealed in five successive sections and the upper two thirds in ten successive sections first in direction towards the top and then in direction towards the bottom. The inner series 31 reveals one third of the object and the outer series 32 reveals the remaining two thirds and as the total relative light values of these two series are equal, one half the total quantity is distributed over one third of the object and one half over the remaining two thirds, producing the inequality referred to above. An arrangement of this nature would be useful under conditions Where it is desirable to transmit unequal or variable volumes of light from different sections of the disc.

In order to effect equal light values in the outer sections of the disc when it is desired to have the apertures of decreased radian measure, it becomes necessary to expose the portion of the object more often through this section than through the inner section, according to the reduction of the radian measure of the individual aperture.

For instance, if the radian measure of the apertures in the outer section is reduced one half, the apertures in this section must be arranged in two complete series in order to reveal in successive vertical sections the portion of the object twice through said apertures of half the radian measure, while the remaining portion is being revealed once in successive vertical sections in the series adjacent the central axis. A fragmentary surface view of the disc in which the apertures upper half of the object is revealed in successive vertical sections in the outer series 33 from centre to top and from top to centre,

while the lower half is being revealed in sue cessive vertical sections from bottom to centre I in series 31A, and similarly, the upper half of the. object is being revealed in successive vertical sections from centre to top and top to centre in the outer series 33A while it is being revealed in successive vertical sections from centre to bottom in the inner series 31A. Figure 7 is a surface view of a section of the disc illustrating the manner in which successive apertures may be provided which occupy greater'radial space than the intervals which cause intermittance.

Figure 8 is a surface view of a section of the disc illustrating the maximum number of apertures which it is possible to provide with it given number of radial and circumferential mes. ranged in alternate radial divisions in such a manner that the object will be completely revealed in vertical sections in the minimum time. Each aperture is spaced from the neighbouring aperture in the same radial division by one concentric zone or ring andthe apertures in the'neighbouring alternate divisions are similarly spaced from each other but lie in the same concentric zones that separate the former apertures. All of these illustrations representonly a few of the combinations which may be effected by this method of opening up a disc for the transmission of light or similar rays through variations in the relative dimensions of radial and circumferential spaces, but they are believed to be sufficient to reveal the invention to anyone skilled in the art towards which this specification is directed and to illustrate how the arrangement of the apertures in series could be changed and modified and still fall within the scope of this invention as specified above and claimed in the followin claims.

What claim is:

1. In a rotary disc for treating light and similar rays, apertures formed therein and spaced circumferentially of each other by radial sectors and at varying distances from the axis about which said disc rotates, and arranged in seriescommencing adjacent said axis and proceeding to a point adjacent the periphery of said disc and thence back to a point adjacent to said center axis, said apertures being formed to permit of equal. exposure throughout the disc.

2. A mechanism for progressively revealing an image in sections which comprises a disc having a plurality of apertures spaced circumferentially to intermittently reveal sections of said image and arranged in groups, the apertures of alternate groups being ar- The apertures in this case are arranged in series extending radially of said disc toward the periphery thereoflthe apertures of the other alternate groups arranged in series progressively extending radially of said disc toward the axis thereof for revealing the entire image, the adjacent apertures of successive groups being the same radial distance from the axis of said disc.

3. A rotary disc for revealing an image 1'0 in progressive sections having apertures formed therein, spaced circumferentially of each other by radial sectors and at varying distances from the axis of said disc, said M apertures being arranged in series progresl sively extending radially of said disc, the

area of each of said apertures being proportional to its distance from the center of said disc. v I

4. A mechanism for progressively revealing an image in sections which comprises-a disc having a plurality of apertures spaced circumferentially thereof for intermittently revealing sections of said image, said apertures being arranged in groups, the apertures 2 of each group being-arranged in series extending radially of said disc from a pointnear the axis thereof and proceeding to a point near the periphery thereof and thence V returning to a point near said axis for re- 3f) vealing the entire image, each of said apertures being bounded by radial lines and arcs of concentric circles and being of equal radian length. M" 5. A mechanism for progressively reveal- 5-ing an image in sections which comprises a disc having a plurality of apertures spaced circumferentially for intermittently revealing sections of said image, said apertures being arranged in groups, the apertures of -each group being arranged in series extending progressively from a point near the axis of said disc to a point near the periphery thereof and returning to a point near said axis for revealing the entire image, said 15' groups being arranged circumferentially in overlapping relationship whereby a plurality of portions of the image are simultaneously revealed in certain positions of saiddisc.

6. A device for revealing an image in pro fi l gressive sections which comprises a disc having apertures therein spaced circumferentially for intermittently revealing sections of said image, and successively movable past said image said apertures being arranged in groups and the apertures of each of said groups being arranged in series extending progressively from a pointnear the axis of said disk to a point near the periphery thereof and then back to a point near said axis for lf-revealing the entire image and the area of each aperture being proportional to its dis tance from the center of said disc.

7 A mechanism for progressively revealing an'image in sections which comprises a Git-disc having a plurality of apertures spaced circumferentially for intermittently revealing sections of said image and arranged in inner and outer bands on said disc, the apertures of each band being arranged in groups progressively extending radially from one edge to the other of the respective band in undulations, the groups of apertures comprising each of said bands being arranged in overlapping relation in a circumferential direction so that parts of said image are revealed simultaneously.

Signed at the city of Toronto, this 20th day of August, 1928.

ALFRED ORDE TATE.

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